Trent Alexander-Arnold is an injury doubt for next Wednesday's Merseyside derby against Everton.
The Liverpool right-back suffered a knock in their 2-0 win against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday 1 February and missed Thursday night's 4-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup.
“No, I don’t think so yet. That’s going to be too early for him,” said head coach Arne Slot in his pre-match press conference when asked if Alexander-Arnold could be involved against Plymouth Argyle in Liverpool's FA Cup fourth-round tie on Sunday.
“Difficult to say [about the derby]. Like I said before, it’s not going to take months and not even weeks but that’s only three days after the Plymouth Argyle game, so let’s wait and see if he is available.
“We also have to look at the long term, of course we don’t want to take any risks with so many games afterwards coming up. But if he’s fit then of course we will use him.”
Since Alexander-Arnold started playing regularly for Liverpool in 2017/18, the stats show that they record more victories with him in the starting XI in the Premier League, 67.7 per cent, than the 60.3 per cent without him.
'We have two very good players'
If Alexander-Arnold misses the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park (as Everton prepare to move to their new Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium at the start of next season) then Conor Bradley is likely to continue in his place.
The 21-year-old Northern Irishman produced an outstanding display against Spurs as he capped off a fine performance with an assist.
When asked about Bradley, Slot said that he has quality in every position in his squad.
“I think it's fair to say that, for many positions, we have two very good players," he added. "I can go through the whole team. It's normal when you work at a club for this magnitude. Right full-back is definitely a position where that is true.
“He has to understand when he has to make the run. This – when it led to the 3-0 [against Spurs] – was a very good choice because Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] had the ball and he had the ball quite open, so he was not under any threat.
“And if Macca has the ball I would make a run as a team-mate as well because there's a fair chance that he will find you in the perfect moment with the perfect pass.”
Former Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp was full of praise for the young right-back.
“Anyone who understands football knows that Conor Bradley is a great talent,” said Redknapp on Sky Sports after the match.
“When young players come through at the club they have that bit of spite about them and I love the way he plays.”
Are Liverpool better with Bradley in the team?
Since the start of last season, when Bradley regularly featured in the first team, his defensive statistics are superior to those of Alexander-Arnold.
Bradley attempts more tackles, has a higher duel success rate and is dribbled past by fewer opponents per 90 minutes.
However, given the quality Alexander-Arnold possesses going forward, the Reds' attacking output drops when he doesn't play.
For example, Alexander-Arnold has a higher Expected Assists (xA) than Bradley and creates more chances than his counterpart per match.
Alexander-Arnold v Bradley stats per 90 minutes since 23/24
| Alexander-Arnold | Statistic | Bradley |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | Matches played | 20 |
| 3,902 | Minutes played | 1,015 |
| 0.09 | Goals | 0.09 |
| 4 | Total goals | 1 |
| 0.09 | xG | 0.12 |
| 0.23 | Assists | 0.27 |
| 10 | Total assists | 3 |
| 0.29 | xA | 0.12 |
| 0.32 | Goals & assists | 0.35 |
| 2.51 | Chances created (inc. assists) | 1.33 |
| 1.61 | Chances created from open play | 1.33 |
| 65 | Passes | 54.3 |
| 51.2 | Successful passes | 44.3 |
| 78.9% | Passing accuracy | 81.7% |
| 1.8 | Dribbles attempted | 3.1 |
| 0.9 | Dribbles completed | 1.4 |
| 48.7% | Dribble success rate | 45.7% |
| 7.7 | Progressive carries | 9.9 |
| 2.1 | Tackles | 3.3 |
| 6.4 | Possession won | 5.9 |
| 1.3 | Interceptions | 1.2 |
| 0.4 | Fouls conceded | 1.1 |
| 3.5 | Duels won | 7.4 |
| 45.1% | Duel success rate | 55.7% |
| 2.2 | Dribbled past by opp. | 1.9 |